I am just coming back to hoyas after many years, but I have never before rooted them. Several weeks ago I received 4 cuttings from ebay and it appears that I am totally failing here! After reading about the various ways to root, I decided to divide them up and try different methods.
1. Hoya acuta is in plain water. No signs of roots.
2. Hoya polyneura is in water with super thrive. No sign of roots.
3. Hoya linearis has been dipped in rooting hormone and placed in a vase with moist perlite and covered with a plastic bag. I don't think there are signs of roots. The bottom of 2 of the cuttings has some white fuzz which resembles the white fuzz you get when you pour hydrogen peroxide on a cut. For all I know the perlite is rubbing off on it!
4. Speckled lacunosa was dipped in rooting hormone, placed in a mixture of soil/perlite and covered in plastic. It looks horrible. It was already yellowing a bit when I got it and dropping leaves. Now, it has no leaves at all and looks pathetic.
All the cuttings have been rooting (ha!) for at least 2 weeks. Any advice? Based on your experience in rooting, would any of the ones I mentioned maybe do better using another method. Thanks for any and all advice. From what I've been reading, a lot of people find rooting simple, and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Cathy
Rooting Question
I find that speckled lacunosa very difficult to root...it loves to rot.
Can't really help because I can't root in water. I find that a VERY VERY airy medium (like large perlite and hydroton or just plain perlite) works for me....
I do know that linearis does NOT like moisture ... I am an expert as I have killed it 4 times!
I also can't root in water - I use the medium which the hoya will live in (which is very airy/chunky, like Carol mentioned), and I put the whole pot inside a baggie with holes. I mist the inside of the baggie every couple of days. I have rooted every hoya you listed above (except lacunosa) using this method, and I've been completely successful. Maybe try some bottom heat?
When you say "covered in plastic", do you mean completely covered? I make holes in my ziplock bags to allow air in. If you don't have holes in the plastic, I'd highly recommend it - they need to breathe :)
Good luck!
Gabi
Thanks, Carol and Gabi: right away I would say that I am giving linearis way too much moisture, so I will pull it out of its mini-greenhouse! Also, thanks Gabi, I am embarrassed, but I didn't punch holes in the plastic so my poor cuttings were probably drowning; I'll take care of them now. BTW, on the other thread, I'm glad you saved your hoya! regards, cathy
Cathy,
No need to be embarrassed - I also learned about poking holes from reading it somewhere...we all learn rooting methods from others and from trial and error. It's just that it all seems to make sense once you read it, and then you feel like you should've known that! So I know how you feel :)
Thanks for the kind words about my hoya that I saved :) :)
Gabi
I agree with Gabi about the bottom heat. In my experience it makes a huge difference. Do you have a heat mat that you could put them on?
Sandy
I just potted these cuttings up.... and took this photo because all of the stages and sizes of the roots were different!!!! Now...these were cut from the SAME plant at the SAME time in the SAME medium all in the SAME pot so they got the SAME treatment. It must have something to do with light...which I will have to note when i take out the next batch!!!! They were 3 weeks rooting.
These two are either end of the spectrum.....I was really amazed!!! But the one at the top DOES have tiny roots. OH, the hoya is H. aff. latifolia and is the one TedGreen calls H. latifolia.
Ladies and Gentlemen, drum roll, please...............We have ROOTS! Thanks all for your support and help. Maybe bc I changed my ways, or maybe bc I was more patient, but both the acuta and polyneura have roots, the linearis looks like it might possibly make it but the speckled lacunosa looks deader than a door nail. I still have it in ICU, though; who knows? Thanks again for words of support and suggestions! Cathy
No worries, Cathy...I have found that speckled lacunosa VERY difficult to root. Congratulations!!!
Coming from you, Carol, that makes me feel better, but I always hate to let a plant die on me! Cathy